Fool for Love
by Salysha
Summary: After the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, Craig Marduk goes looking for the petite brunette who stole his heart. Marduk/Anna.
1. Fool for Love, Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Tekken and Tekken characters are the property of Namco Limited. This is nonprofit fan fiction.

**Pairings**: Marduk/Anna. It should be Craig/Anna, but I've been Namco'd with the names. What they have on the screen is what I'm taking here.

* * *

**Fool for Love**

by Salysha

* * *

Craig Marduk strode down the street feeling ridiculous. He hated the monkey suit he was wearing, and he felt like the worst kind of fool being here in the first place.

The monkey suit, as Marduk called it, was a light brown jacket with elbow pads and a pair of trousers: a compromise between a full suit, which Marduk shuddered to think about, and a casual outfit of jeans and something from the bottom of the closet, which he longed to wear. That wouldn't do now; he'd have to pull this through, or know he'd come this far and turned yellow.

Marduk looked at the card in his hand and the address scribbled on it and searched for the name of the street. Almost there.

A couple passers-by gave him wondering looks, but he couldn't be bothered by them. One look in their direction, and they would have scattered like a school of fish. What was the fun in that? He was looking for a much better catch.

Marduk arrived at the worn-down condominium, double-checked the address, and entered the proper staircase. Inside, he straightened his suit with one last, suffering look and made sure he had his bearings right. He navigated through the claustrophobic corridors until, at last, he found the right apartment. The name on the door was someone else's, but the address was right. Marduk rang the door and waited.

Not long after, the door was opened, and there she was. Clothed in a red-hued, knee-length negligée, she was every inch as breathtaking as Marduk remembered, and more. Where previously he had been enchanted, he was now sold.

"You." Her voice was alluring, even when it conveyed pique. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Marduk slouched by the door, which was made for far smaller users, and felt like an idiot. Like he'd ever find the words that would make this lovely creature even tolerate him. He, one hell of a big, red-blooded man, was struggling with something as mundane as talking to a pretty woman.

The silence threatened to prolong, and he knew he had to make a move before this unexpected, unwarranted _cowardice_ ate him up completely.

"These are for you," he said.

Despite herself, Anna instinctively reached out and took the proffered bouquet of flowers, which Marduk had been hiding under his jacket, out of view of prying eyes. The bouquet had white and purple flowers and an intoxicating scent, which caressed her sense of smell. Anna was lost for just a moment, and Marduk's confidence boosted. She hadn't told him off yet.

The illusion was broken when a male voice rang from inside the apartment. Marduk felt a stab in heart and said feebly, "You have someone in there..." He didn't know why he had assumed otherwise, and felt humiliated.

Anna jerked too, and her expression turned into one of vexation. "It's the television. Hold on. Wait here." She pushed the flowers back to Marduk and turned heel. Watching her disappear into the apartment, Marduk wondered again at how petite she was, especially without the high heels. Then again, most of the world was petite to him.

One hell of a romantic he was turning into, using words like "petite."

Inside, Anna Williams made her way to the television and shut it off. Her back was to the door, as her hand slipped to the side of the DVD player and pulled out a dagger. She swung around... and there was no one there. Anna frowned and licked her lips in confusion. What was this?

She tiptoed toward the entrance to the apartment, and surely enough, the man was still there, waiting just as she had told him to. He hadn't inched inside; he was waiting outside in the corridor, which unsettled Anna. She hid the knife in her garter and, with a draw of breath, returned to the door.

"What do you want?"

"Would you have these?" Marduk offered the bouquet again. "Please." Manners—a caveman wouldn't have them, and she had told him she disliked cavemen. He'd show her he was better than that.

Anna felt like laughing, and still... "They are lovely," she conceded and accepted the flowers. Marduk was happy to let the silence continue, but Anna was starting to feel uncomfortable. "What do you want?" she repeated.

"Would you go out with me?"

Not that it had been unexpected; the flowers had been a giveaway, and that strange attire of Marduk's was just as good a cue, and still the request floored her.

Anna hesitated. Not that she was shy to express herself, but she was at loss with this. This _ogre_ showed at her door—how? How had he found her?—and asked her out, and with those words, too. Something more feral would have suited him better.

Marduk read the hesitation right. "It's all right," he said. "You don't need to spell it out." The lady wasn't interested, nor would she be, and he wouldn't beg her; he'd be a man about it and accept defeat, even when it dug deep. There was no need to lose the last of his pride.

Anna reached to him with the purple and white flowers still in her hand, but he raised his hands and shook his head. "No. Those are yours. Keep them." Even though he wanted to mask his disappointment, his voice sounded more gravelly than usual. He turned to leave, as Anna closed the door quietly.

She leaned on the wall and heard the receding footsteps sound in the hallway. She looked at the flowers in her hands and breathed in the scent. It was tantalizing. Anna studied the flowers closely without thinking much, all the while thinking too much. She fidgeted a bit. The flowers were lovely. She set out to move and then drew back.

On a whim, she made up her mind, and yanked the door open. "Marduk!" she called. The footsteps which sounded from afar at that point stopped, reversed direction, and approached her. Soon, he came within her line of sight. "Tomorrow. Pick me up at 6.30."

A smile spread across Marduk's face slowly. He wasn't used to it, smiling a genuine smile, but he didn't try to hold it back. "I'll be there. Thank you."

Anna gave him a wordless peek before withdrawing into her apartment.

Marduk walked out of the building. It was drizzling outside, but he took no notice of it on his own cloud nine.

She had said yes.

* * *

_"Oooh, yeah, baby; that's what I'm talking about. You need to get with me, girl."_  
_"I am not into Neanderthals. Go back to your cage."_  
_After Marduk wins, he exits the stage carrying the limp Anna over his shoulder._  
_"I **always** get what I want."_  
_(Craig Marduk and Anna Williams, Craig Marduk's Story Battle, Fourth Stage, Tekken 5)_

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I hope you review.

**Hearty thanks** to **Gypsie** (Gypsie Rose) for the beta'ing!

**Published** June 9, 2008.


	2. Fool for Love, Chapter 2

This update is dedicated to **JunKing**, whose fics I encourage you to read.

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Craig Marduk was pacing in his hotel room. The date was tonight, and he didn't like waiting. At the back of his mind, he doubted his stroke of good luck. He had traveled the seven seas in search for the pretty lady, and she had agreed to go out with him. A morsel of him suspected that he would arrive at the scene only to find her gone.

Marduk purged the thought: self-doubt was for lesser men.

Then, he remembered something that took his mind from the diffident paths: he had promised to make a call as soon as he was settled and knew something. He picked up the phone, did a mental check that he had remembered to sign the hotel voucher, and dialed an impressive string of area codes and numbers from memory.

"It's Marduk," he growled when the call finally connected. "Pass it on, would ya? Thanks."

The receiver was placed down, and the sounds of the gym sounded faintly in the background before someone familiar picked up the phone_. "¿Está Craig, no? ¿Cómo estás, amigo?"_

"Lay off that Spanish crap, will ya? I can't understand ya."

At the other end of the line, King laughed. "So..."

"It's going well," Marduk said with a grin. "I found Anna, and I'm taking her out on a date tonight."

King whistled. "You are fast in your moves. You are taking her out, and maybe, later, for a bit of mm-mm..."

"Don't you talk that way about Anna! That's a lady you're talking about."

"Peace, peace. I didn't mean anything by it." King sounded as surprised at the outburst as Marduk himself was. The teasing tone was gone when he spoke again. "...You have it bad, don't you?"

Marduk was uncomfortable. "Lay off, King."

King's voice was reassuring. "You'll sweep her off her feet. Take flowers. And something she can pin on her dress."

"I gotta go. Just wanted to give you a ring, now that I'm here." Marduk didn't want to make out like he needed King's advice.

"Give me a call when you can. Have a good time."

"Talk to you."

"Take care,_ amigo_."

After Marduk hung up, he took a moment to take it all in. He was taking out the prettiest woman he had seen. He had a mate to ring to, a real friend. Life couldn't be better. Now, if he could only pick out the monkey suit to wear for the evening... He wouldn't make Anna ashamed of him. He would pick up something nice on the way over, too.

* * *

At her apartment, Anna sat at a dressing table and studied herself in the mirror. The blue suit she had chosen for the evening was laid out already and gleamed through the mirror. This ordeal was baffling, and she pursed her lips as she tried to make sense to it. She had a date with Craig Marduk? It defied understanding. Then, her eyes landed on the beautiful purple bouquet resting on the table, arranged neatly in a vase, and her cold frown thawed into a look of warmth. The flowers were enchanting.

The state of things still necessitated that she find out what kind of a game Marduk was playing and what he was after, but if she had to go to on a date to find out, she would. Her eyes landed on the blue reflection in the mirror, and her resolve set. The blue wouldn't do. She went through the shades in her closet: sanguine, cardinal, alizarin, and even cerise.

She decided she wanted her dress as she would have liked her jewelry: ruby. Something ruby and becoming would be suited to the occasion. She would find out who Craig Marduk was working for yet.

Anna tilted her head and dabbed at her nose with a powder puff thoughtfully.

* * *

At 6.30 precisely, Marduk knocked to the door of Anna's apartment. She answered just as promptly, and, as she did, he was grateful for the time he had taken to prepare for the evening. The sleeveless gown fit her form with mathematic precision, and only her razor-sharp high heels kept the hem from sweeping the ground.

"You are beautiful!" The words slipped, and Anna started, but before she could say a word edgewise, a generous flower arrangement was presented to her. "I hope you like these."

With an odd sense of iteration, Anna took the proffered bouquet. She had to pause and admire the bunch. Where ogres went, Marduk had taste. Even if a florist had composed the arrangement, it was still he who had had the sense to take it. She couldn't resist inhaling the scent, and her senses rewarded her. The blend of carnations, chaperoned by a shy helping of white roses, was bewitching. She could only bring herself to say, "They are beautiful," and mean every word.

Marduk looked relieved.

Anna shook out of her trance. "I should put these in water." She turned to the confines of her apartment, but then she realized Marduk was still there. "You can wait inside," she said to Marduk, slightly displeased that she had to allow him in, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Marduk inched into the foyer, and that was where Anna, upon retuning, found him waiting solemnly by the open door. He had barely ventured in; he was not roving about her apartment... Anna's bafflement at Marduk's motives rose. Careful to hide her uncertainty, she picked up her handbag, befitting for a purse, a phone, the keys, and the select sharp object. "Let's go," she said, and instantly Marduk retreated into the hallway and waited for her.

Out on the street, Marduk finally spoke. "I booked table at an Italian restaurant. It's right nearby, but I'll get us a cab."

"'Campanello's Cove?' I know where that is. We can walk."

"That's the one, but are you sure? You can walk in those...?" Marduk cast a questioning look at Anna's heels.

A scowl silenced him. "Come on," Anna commanded and linked her arm in his, and he had no choice but to follow her.

He was a goner, letting the lady lead.

* * *

Eventually, the foods were ordered and the drinks brought to the table, and the beginning formalities no longer gave them an excuse to be distracted. It was a nice restaurant—intimate and cozy—and Anna studied the design curiously and perhaps too intently. The beams attached to the roof and the tavern-like interior design, created by means far costlier than their looks divulged, were tastefully chic.

It was Marduk who broke the ice and started telling tall tales of his years in the ring. He was sure he was boring her to death, but if he was, she was gifted at giving a polite laugh at the right place.

He had just finished recounting a story of a bar brawl he had been in—one far, far away from any blasted "copper state"—when Anna cast her the first look of suspicion. "That didn't actually happen, did it?"

"It did, I swear. Though..." Marduk took a swig.

"Yes?"

"There were five blokes, not four. I just didn't wanna brag."

Anna looked at him incredulously, but Marduk's gaze held steady over the brim of the pint. Her own mirth took Anna off guard, and she burst out in laughter.

The laughter was low, melodious, and sultry, and it sent a pleased heat on Marduk's face. He thanked his complexion for not giving his flush away. "True story. One of my better achievements," he growled, but there was a grin on his face.

Anna was still chuckling away. Eventually, she collected herself with a last, giggly sigh, and she leaned in over the table. "You know, I believe you."

Their orders took the ungrateful time to arrive then. Anna pulled upright to make room for the plate placed in front of her, and the meals stole their attention.

* * *

Secretly, Anna had to admit she was enjoying herself. The food was lovely, and Marduk was telling her another one of his improbable stories, which—she was quickly discovering—were surprisingly consistent and just might be true. He reached the punch line, and she leaned in with a laugh. The restaurant was small and intimate, and Marduk filled half the room by himself. There was certainly enough of a man in him to hold on to, and Anna supposed he couldn't help being so massive. He wasn't clumsy, though, and he didn't try to pry information out of her, which she found soothing.

Anna jolted. She had forgotten herself and let the moment carry her away.

"What's wrong, Anna?"

As the question came, Anna knew it was time to pay the piper. She looked at the gelato before her mournfully. It would have to remain untouched; the game was over. She steeled herself. "How did you find me? Was it him? Or _her_?"

Anna took a note of spite at "her," but all Marduk heard was "him," and he felt a stab in his heart. There was a "he" that Anna thought about. "What are you talking about?"

"Who sent you? Who told you where I was?" Anna's hand crept under the table and snatched her handbag. Careful not to let the magnetic snap jangle, she pried the handbag open and slipped a hand in.

"No one sent me— Who's she? And who's _he_?" Marduk's frowning was so well-played, anyone but Anna could have been fooled.

Marduk wanted to prolong this, maybe take it out. She would play along, then. "_She_ is my darling sister, Nina. _He_ is my ex-employer, Kazuya Mishima, who can stay that way. Which one is it? You can tell dear Nina to do her own dirty work, and you can tell Kazuya I'm not interested."

Marduk listened to Anna's recount, stone-faced. He gave his melting ice cream a look and then pushed the plate aside without a second glance. "Anna, you've got the wrong impression. I don't know your sister, and I ain't friends with the Mishima. I'm here for only one reason, and if ya don't know what that is... that makes me the biggest fool in a fool's paradise." Marduk sank back into his chair.

Anna's fine features were expressionless. Under the table, her hand was wavering in and out of the opened back, always returning from the outside but never venturing in fully. "How did you find me?"

"It wasn't easy." Marduk hmphed as the vivid visual. "I asked the agency that manages the tournament."

"They don't give any information out."

"I know they aren't supposed to... And you shouldn't be to mad at them. They didn't give me your personal information just like that." Marduk ran a hand along his neck. He wasn't sure how the lady would feel about the confession to come, but he wouldn't make it prettier than it was. "I paid them a visit and I sorta beat it out of them... And of course, that address didn't lead me anywhere; you'd moved on already, but I got the moving address from there, and from the next place, and here I am."

"They weren't supposed to give my address to anyone." It hadn't been necessary for Anna to disappear, but she hadn't passed on the opportunity, either.

"I know, but they liked the money. And, I think, they got scared of me." Marduk looked apologetic. "That's all there is to it. It took me a while to find you, but at the same time, I wanted to."

Anna's gaze drifted to the table, even though she knew she should have kept an eye on the man. She retracted her hand from the handbag and closed the magnetic lock quietly. Could she have been wrong, this once? Reason was telling her not to let her guard down, but instinct was giving her carte blanche. She went with the feeling.

"I am sorry. I sometimes encounter... difficulties. Associates, in my line of work, may be something different from what they appear." Anna left unsaid that the back-stabbing party was usually her, by nature of the trade.

"You know, I never asked what you do for a living—"

Anna's heart skipped a beat, and her fingers went to the metallic fastener...

"—and I'm not about to start now."

Anna released the handbag from her grasp and brought her hands back to the table.

"Though, what do you say we get another round of desserts? This is a sorry sight." Marduk flipped a spoon in the ice cream soup that adorned his plate.

They ended up staying at the restaurant a while longer. In the end, Craig Marduk escorted Anna to her door and bade her goodnight, leaving behind a perplexed Anna, who had just agreed to a second date.

**To Be Continued...**

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Thanks for your time and interest. Reviews are cherished!

**Cordial thanks** to **Gypsie** for the proofreading!

**Published** June 6, 2009.


	3. Fool for Love, Chapter 3

It was a cozy pub that welcomed them with a blithe sign:

_Never mind the dog—beware of the owner._

Everything else blended in with the earthen interior except Anna Williams. Her suit was a brazen-blue blazer and a matching skirt with sinuous, spiked-heel boots. Anna Williams was not bland, and she was never wallpaper.

A hat with a flashy feather drew the finishing touch to her looks, and Marduk had trouble keeping his eyes on the menu. He couldn't keep from paying Anna a glance here and there. Anna seemed to notice it, too, because her lips curved and she shone even more brightly. She was all coiffed and powdered and manicured and whatever voodoo women did to appear so attractive. _It's working,_ Marduk thought and gulped.

"Is something wrong?" Anna noticed that the admiration had changed into reflection.

Marduk cleared his throat. "Not a thing," he said, surprising even himself when the usual rasp transformed into almost sexy huskiness. It still wasn't a pretty voice, but it was his.

Anna gave a surprised look, but then tilted her head at him and pursed her lips; that perfectly red Cupid's bow flirted with Marduk's head and distracted him from the pleased twitch that Anna's lower lip betrayed for just a moment. _It is working,_ Anna decided, but a sudden bout of shyness overtook her. Afraid she would get a natural tint of rouge, she fumbled with her gloves; straightened the fingers again, set the cuffs symmetrically, and caressed the cornflower blue suede.

She had gloves, too? Marduk had missed that. Having gloves was so vintage and incredibly attractive. It was working for him.

* * *

"How is it?"

"It's great."

"Mine's fine," Anna said thoughtfully as she dabbed at her meal. The Waldorf salad had a touch of refinement to it.

"I wasn't talking about the food."

Anna's head tilt was reproachful, though it didn't carry significant displeasure. She was giving Marduk a long look under her eyelashes, but Marduk kicked back and lifted the glass to his mouth with a smirk. He watched in amusement as the feather swung back and forth while Anna decided whether to demand his show of cards. In the end, she settled for a reproaching look. "Funny man."

"A real comedian," Marduk said, and took hearty delight when Anna sputtered in her drink.

* * *

More space cleared as the plates were taken away. Once the bills vanished just as swiftly, Marduk had the entire table to himself and was finally able to act out story number dozen and counting. The crowd around them had changed as the evening had spanned, and to converse properly, Anna was leaning across the table. Come to think of it, she had been thusly inclined even before the commotion had begun. Marduk couldn't have been more pleased with the way the evening was going, and Anna seemed more relaxed by each date, too; she didn't fumble with her purse the entire time like she had done the first time.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing with an ape like that?"

The peace had been savaged. The clientele profile had come to include a party of undesirables, belligerent and brash.

"Move along," Marduk said. The trouble had already brewed, and he cursed vilely for having stayed on long enough to become a trouble magnet. Like he cared for himself; he had gone to jail for slugging a man. He cared about Anna, who was going to leave in a huff if he dealt corporal punishment on this lot. She wouldn't speak to him again. He sat still and tried not to get mad.

As the slurs persisted and got more personal, Marduk's patience wore thin. The group of juniors was what he had for breakfast, and he didn't have to listen to this. His date didn't deserve to hear their rot. Then, a surprise came.

"Let me handle this, Craig," Anna said and patted Marduk lightly on the hand. The peacebreakers faded to inexistence, and Marduk's heart leapt. She stood up and, on her high heels, stood a head short from her company. Yet, her shapely figure didn't save her.

The leader of the men leered openly: partly pleased to acknowledge that the treat looked as good standing as she did seated, and partly annoyed because the treat was trying to wear shoes too big for her size. After the ineffectual battle, flirting made way for arrogance. "What's the matter? Don't tell me you got offended."

Anna cocked her head. At the same time, gracefully, she raised her spiked-heel boot and buried it below the belt. The pain caught the other patrons in a shockwave. The initial trauma still milled around as Anna placed her foot down and sent her hand into a sharp sweep that caught the second man and sent him staggering between the tables, fighting a losing match against gravity.

The third man didn't think twice about breaking the rules of gallantry: his fists balled dangerously. Rather than step away, Anna caught his fist before the momentum built too much to handle, and did an elaborate dive that surprised the man as much as it did the audience. It looked like she was about to cartwheel, but the momentum become a budding kick and then a strike before the audience could differentiate between the two.

The mayhem was increasing by the second. Looking around, too much was in shambles, but not broken. _Not broken?_ The floor was littered with men over whom Anna stood triumphant, but there had been remarkably little damage. Reorganizing the furniture and taking out the trash would do it; the damage hadn't been on property. Marduk wanted to capture that woman against his chest and kiss her senseless. She was marvelous.

"Out, before I call the cops."

"She didn't start this," Marduk remarked. He was still sitting at the table.

"I saw that, and I said out. Be glad you didn't do more damage."

"Come, Craig. We aren't wanted here," Anna announced and flicked her head. Barely holding back a smirk, "Craig" followed.

Outside, Anna halted and waited for Marduk to catch up with him. She paid a thoughtful glance at the door and donned her gloves.

"Never mind the man—beware of the woman," Anna said as she linked her arm with Marduk's.

* * *

The way home went in the same cheerful disposition: between Anna's determined striding on heels that defied physics and Marduk's barely stifled grinning, as the spicy lady forgot her arm in his care, the walk back was a sporty performance. The going didn't slow down until Anna's building came into sight, and all too soon, the front door loomed in front of them.

Anna had been pondering about a subject in her head, and now found that she had to make a decision. They had gone out a few times already, it had been fun, and Marduk had certainly been patient. She supposed she must invite him in.

"Do you want to come up?"

A couple of seconds elapsed... and there was no drooling on her side. Anna looked back and found Craig Marduk waiting a respectful distance away. At her attention, he approached. "I'd love to come up more than anything, Anna," he said, and Anna was so befuddled she didn't object when he picked her hand in his, "but only when you really want me to."

Marduk looked her in the eye and bowed down, lifting her hand, and kissed her hand. He released her hand, and it fell to her side with a wisp of air.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow," he said and placed a kiss on Anna's cheek. Then he was gone, before Anna had gotten a word out. His back had receded far when she finally recovered.

Had he just said **no** to her?

* * *

Many thanks to all who have been reading and commenting!

**Cordial thanks** to **Gypsie** for the proofreading!

**Published** December 5, 2010.


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